Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Cook the broth, garlic, tomatoes and basil in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper; place smooth-side down on a work surface. Sprinkle with the parsley and mozzarella. Starting at the short end, roll up to enclose the filling. Secure with a toothpick.

Mix the parmesan and breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Put the egg white in another dish and beat until foamy.

Mist a cast-iron skillet with cooking spray. Dip the chicken rolls in the egg white, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place in the skillet, seam-side down. Sprinkle with any remaining breadcrumbs and mist with cooking spray. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serve with the tomato sauce.

Finding interesting recipes is getting more difficult as the weeks progress. We still haven’t repeated any since we moved into our apartment at the end of May; and, we really want to continue to make only new dinners each day of the week without any repetition. Though there are endless internet resources for recipes and meal ideas, it’s sometimes difficult to sift through the massive amounts of information a simple Google search can provide… But, what’s that?! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s the Rachel Ray magazine to the rescue! I like paging through old issues that my mom gives me when she’s finished. I posted a recipe of hers before, but then strayed from my magazine inspiration. Now I am back, Rach.

The chicken, when cooked on a grill pan, gets an excellent grilled flavor and beautiful grilling marks, all while keeping the moisture of the chicken in tact. The yogurt sauce reminds me of tzatziki sauce due to the coolness it provides the chicken. Maranading the chicken in the sauce doesn’t give the chicken a distinct creamy taste, but instead provides a gentle nod to the herbs and flavors of the sauce itself. Great dish: looks pretty, tastes good.

Ingredients:

2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

3 scallions, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, parsley and scallions; season with salt and pepper. Measure out 1 cup and transfer to a small serving bowl; refrigerate. Season the chicken with salt and pepper; add to the large bowl with the remaining yogurt mixture and toss to coat. Let marinate for about 30 minutes.

Oil the grill pan and cook the chicken over medium to medium-high heat, turning once, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with the refrigerated yogurt sauce, garnish with parsley leaves.

Cook the chicken (chopped into cubes) in a greased pan until cooked through. Place aside and saute onions, green pepper, and garlic in greased pan. Once tender stir in the rest of the ingredients excluding the cheese and tortillas. Put half of the chicken and half of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish, and sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese, and then cover with half of the tortillas. Repeat this process, and then cover with the last remaining cup of cheese.

Like this:

Coconut Chicken with Apricot Sauce (Serves 4)
Inspired by a recipe found here.

This recipe was suggested by my friend Cortney, who is another devoted food blog finder and recipe tryer. I can’t say she’s ever steered me wrong, so I thought I’d give it a try. She said she hides the leftovers in her fridge so she can have them for herself, so that certainly says something. And, as I thought, I was definitely not disappointed by this recipe! It’s got everything you could ever want in a chicken dish: saltiness, sweetness, crunch, melted butter, and lots and lots of flavor. The apricot sauce was different than anything I’ve tried before. It’s so simple and delicious. I would use it as a dipping sauce for basically any kind of finger food–from french fries to raw veggies.

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup flour (may substitute for any healthier flour)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (I used Smart Balance with olive oil)

1/4 cup sugar-free apricot preserves

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg and set aside. In a shallow bowl, combine the coconut, four, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Working with one chicken breast at a time, dip into the egg and coat in the coconut mixture. Place on the baking sheet. Once all chicken has been coated and is on the baking sheet, evenly drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 30-35 minutes, flipping once halfway.

To make the apricot sauce, combine the apricot preserves and Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I love chinese food, and I love crock pots. The convenience of coming home from work at the end of the day and having dinner already cooked is priceless in my book. I came across this mysterious looking recipe amongst a list of a bunch of crock pot recipes. I didn’t really know what to expect from it, but I decided to give it a shot. Once I had gotten all of the ingredients into the crock pot, I began to question whether or not this was going to taste good, but it came out quite tasty. The chicken is very juicy and the whole thing is full of flavor. I would suggest serving it over rice.

Ingredients

Chicken breast – (chopped)

Cabbage – 2 cups chopped

Red and green peppers – 1 each (chopped)

White onion – 1 (chopped)

Chinese peppercorn – 1 teaspoon (ground)

Honey – 1 Tablespoon

Soy sauce – 2 Tablespoons

Salt – 1 to 2 teaspoons

Diced ginger – 1 Tablespoon

Chicken soup stock – 2 cups

Corn starch – 2 Tablespoons + 1/4cup water

Mix all the ingredients in the slow cooker (but not the starch and water), and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. In the last 30 minutes mix the starch and water into the pot. Serve.

I’m in love with the Rachel Ray magazine. There are so many great recipes, articles, and general goodness for real people that it’s hard to stand. I’ll admit, I never was a huge fan of Rach’s. I’m not sure why, but something about her shows weren’t very engaging for me. But since the free subscription of her magazine started coming in the mail, I figured I’d give her another chance and my mind is blown. I’ve yet to make a recipe I didn’t like! The recipes Rach includes in her magazine incorporate ingredients that are readily available and easily modified for specific tastes.

When I came across this recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken, I knew I had to try it. Asian cooking is a little intimidating–at least for me–but this recipe is a great success as it preserves the tastes of restaurant-style Sweet and Sour Chicken in a healthy way. Yes!

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice

salt and pepper

1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained, 1/2 cup juice reserved

2 tbsp. white vinegar

2 tbsp. Bragg’s liquid aminos

3 sprinkles of xanthan gum

1 tbsp. barbeque sauce (I used Annie’s organic)

2 tsp. minced ginger

1 large skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

Sesame seeds for garnish

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 3/4 cups water and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil; stir in the rice. Cover, lower the heat and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the pineapple juice, vinegar, Bragg’s, 1 sprinkle of xanthan gum, barbeque sauce and ginger. In a bowl, toss the chicken with another sprinkle of xanthan gum, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat a bit, add the bell pepper and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the pineapple chunks, then pour the pineapple juice mixture into the chicken mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. If sauce is not thickened to desired consistency, stir in an additional sprinkle of xanthan gum. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve over the rice.

I’ve recently discovered my love of black beans. The southwestern egg rolls (found here) are one of my favorite things ever. The chili that I made last week was also pretty great. Black beans really are amazing. This recipe is no exception to that rule. This is a really unique meal that is really simple and fast to make. It also looks really impressive for being such a simple recipe. All of the colors make this a dish that you use to show off with.

Ingredients

Salsa:

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup fresh corn kernels

2 tablespoon chopped red onion

2 teaspoon chopped seeded jalapeño pepper

2 teaspoon fresh lime juice

2 teaspoon extravirgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

8 grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered

Chicken:

1 tablespoon butter

Cooking spray

2 chicken breasts

Dash of salt

Dash of freshly ground black pepper

Lime slice

Combine all of the salsa ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Spray chicken with cooking spray to coat, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook chicken over medium high heat in a pan with butter. Serve chicken over salsa with a slice of lime.